Back in the olden days, before Hazy IPAs were a thing, there was the Cascadian Dark Ale (also known as Black IPA). This unusual style melded roasted malt flavors with a hoppy bite. It may sound odd, but it worked. The CDA was even recognized as a style at the Great American Beer Festival back in 2010. I enjoyed the style and remember seeing many in wide release between 2010-2013. Styles ebb and flow in popularity, and CDAs haven't been as widely available in recent years.

Full Sail released a CDA in 2016 called Shortest Day Cascadian Dark Ale. And it's back! Except now it has been re-christened as a Winter Ale. No matter what they're calling it, it's available for a limited time as part of Full Sail's Pub Series. I wrote about it two years ago, and you can check out my tasting notes here. So this winter, take a stroll down memory lane and (re)discover a unique style!

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with the Return of Full Sail’s Shortest DayDark malts and bright hops balance this award-winning, medium-bodied winter ale

Hood River, Oregon – October 29, 2018 – The shortest day of the year means the longest night, with more time to drink Full Sail’s perfectly balanced Shortest Day Winter Ale.

“First released in 2016, Shortest Day was so well-loved we’re bringing it back as part of our rotating Pub Series,” says Full Sail Brewmaster Greg Doss. “It offers bold flavor with excellent balance and is the perfect beer for the season.” De-husked chocolate malt imparts dark chocolate flavor while crystal adds depth and complexity. Generous additions of Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra hops lend flavors of ­­fruit and sweet floral notes. “Enjoy this Pub Series selection on the shortest day of the year and any other day this season, while it lasts,” says Doss.

Shortest Day’s hand-drawn artwork by Portland-based TWEEQiM creativeLab’s MiQ Willmott pays homage to Hood River’s water sources, bounty of fresh ingredients, and of course, the award-winning taste in each and every bottle. The design features the Green Man—known in lore as the mascot of the winter solstice—fashioned from hops, celebrating the darkness of night and rebirth, as days begin getting longer again. “The Green Man’s crescent-moon smile reflects on the river,” says Willmott, “and the white stars represent the ‘winter circle,’ the phenomenon of stars that appear only on the winter solstice. Even the Big Dipper gets a cameo.”

Shortest Day is the latest release in Full Sail’s Pub Series. Like a portal to our pub, seasonal brews only available for a limited time (get ’em while they’re cold) give you a taste of the pints and people that celebrate the Pacific Northwest. Shortest Day is available October to December in 6-packs, in the Full Sail Trophy Case and on draft. 6.6% ABV, 57 IBUs. From our pub to your place – cheers!

About Full Sail Brewing Company

Perched on a bluff in Hood River, Oregon, overlooking the mighty Columbia River’s epic wind and kite surfing and the snow-capped volcanic peak of Mt. Hood, Full Sail is a true craft-brewing pioneer. Since 1987, Full Sail has been pouring pure Mt. Hood water, local ingredients and responsible processes into each and every pint. Full Sail’s brews and sustainable practices have garnered more than 300 national and international awards, including more than 200 gold medals and Beverage World’s “Craft Brewer of the Year” distinction. From Full Sail Amber and IPA to Session Lager and bourbon barrel-aged beers, Full Sail consistently strives to brew complex, balanced and ridiculously tasty beers. Learn more at www.fullsailbrewing.com.

Autumn is a great season for beer! Between Fresh Hop beers and Oktoberfest, there's plenty of beer events to keep us busy.

McMenamins has SEVEN Oktoberfest events planned throughout late September and early October at its many locations. All are family friendly, will have live music, food, and guest beers. Check out the dates and links below for specific details about each event.

BridgePort Brewing Co. just announced their Second Annual HoptoberFest PDX Block Party! A few weeks ago, I joined BridgePort Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton on a trip to pickup a batch of Centennial Hops to be used in their Hoptoberfest Fresh Hop IPA. You can read about our visit to Crosby Hop Farm here. I'm looking forward to finally tasting that beer, and you can taste it too! Check out the details below for event hours and ticket information.

Featured Beer Details: This year we are changing gears and making a malty Marzen beer base first. We use Pilsner and Munich malts to create a rich, malty, Marzen-style base. We ferment this with our German lager yeast. We allow this to ferment for a few days then we dry-hop generously with fresh Centennial, Amarillo, and Mt. Hood hops to create a unique fresh hop flavor like no other. ABV: 7.0%, BU’s: 40

Dave Selden first released 33 Bottles of Beer, a pocket tasting journal, nearly a decade ago. Since that time, he's produced about 40 different journals spanning a wide variety of beverage and food categories. Check 'em all out here!

In anticipation of fresh hop season, Selden has just released 33 Bottles of Beer: Fresh Hop Special Edition. While this new release shares much in common with the original 33 Bottles of Beer, the flavor wheel has been modified to include flavor descriptors that are unique to hop-forward beer styles. In the picture below, you can see the differences.

The fresh hop beer season is short and will soon descend in full force. Prepare yourself with the newest tasting journal from 33 Books Co.! For more details, see the news release below.

33 Books Co. Debuts New Hop-Focused Beer JournalNew Edition of Popular Pocket Journal Arrives Just in Time for Hop Harvest

PORTLAND, OREGON— 33 Books Co. today announced a brand new edition of its popular beer-tasting journal.

33 Bottles of Beer: Fresh Hop Special Edition is a new take on the popular series of "33 Beers" pocket beer-tasting notebooks. This edition is specially-designed for sampling hop-forward styles such as India Pale Ale (IPA), "Milkshake" IPA, New England IPA (NEIPA) aka "Hazy IPA," and seasonal "Fresh Hop" beers, examples of which are just coming into the market now as the Pacific Northwest begins its annual hop harvest.

“I love all beer styles,” says Selden, creator of the distinctive green books, "But it should be obvious if you've ever met me – I have a hop vine tattoo covering most of my right arm – I tend to gravitate towards hoppy beers."

As with Selden's flagship beer journal, 33 Beers: Fresh Hop Edition contains 33 pages of note-taking space, made simple with a page format designed to help tasters quickly capture relevant beer stats and flavors, including his signature flavor wheel.

“The flavor wheel in this book is all about appreciating hop flavor and aroma,“ says Selden. “The adjective 'dank' isn't one you often use to describe stouts or pilsners, but if you've ever had a hoppy beer with lots of Columbus hops in it, you know how useful that note can be.”

Other adjectives on the wheel in this edition include 'herbal/grassy,' 'citrus,' 'floral,' and even 'vegetal,' which sometimes occurs in fresh hop beers, just now coming into season in the Pacific Northwest, where the books are designed, tested and printed.

The hop-focused beer logs are available now for $5 each at 33Books.com and at finer bottleshops and bookstores around the world. Volume pricing for interested retailers can be obtained by e-mailing orders@33books.com.

About 33 Books Co.

Dave Selden started 33 Books Co. as a side project to his side project. A weekend beer blogger, he developed his first pocket tasting notebook in 2009 to help with notes on the beers he was writing about. After just a few years, the books became his full-time job. Today, 33 Books Co. produces more than a dozen flavors of pocket tasting notebooks and other tasting tools in Portland, Oregon.

In about a month, The Oregon Brewers Guild will host the 15th Annual Portland Fresh Hops Fest. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to taste from over 60 fresh hop beers in a single location! Check out my recap of the last year's Portland Fresh Hops Fest to get an idea of what you will experience. For more details, including hours and prices, check out the news release below.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Fresh Hops Fest is the state's largest celebration of Oregon's annual hop harvest. The 15th annual Portland Fresh Hops Fest will present more than 60 fresh-hop Oregon beers, each made with hops picked off the bine and used within hours of harvesting. The event will take place Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 at Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way. Hours are 5pm to 9pm on Friday and 12pm to 8pm on Saturday.

“This festival offers beer lovers in the Pacific Northwest a once-a-year opportunity to taste more than five-dozen Oregon made fresh-hop beers in one location,” explained Brian Butenschoen, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “Fresh hop beers are a celebration of the local hop harvest that runs from mid-August to mid-September in Oregon, and many breweries make multiple beers during the fresh-hop season.”

Admission to the Portland Fresh Hops Fest is free. Drinking packages cost $20 for a souvenir tasting glass and nine drink tickets in advance, or six drink tickets at the door. Discount ticket packages are currently available via MercPerks, offering two tasting glasses and 18 drink tickets for $30; the discount is valid through August 31 or for the first 100 tickets sold, whichever occurs first. General advance admission tickets are on sale now at www.oregoncraftbeer.org/freshhopsfest; enter the code “freshnotwet” for $2.50 off each ticket through Sept. 27. Additional tasting tickets are sold onsite for $2 each or three for $5. Event parking is free.

The final beer list will be released in mid-September, but an early list with beer names, styles and descriptions is available now at Google Drive. Each brewery provides only one beer, so attendees are encouraged to arrive on Friday or early on Saturday for the greatest selection. The festival will also feature homebrew demonstrations from Portland U-Brew on Saturday from Noon to 5pm; a number of commercial vendors; and on-site food from Urban German Grill.

Minors are not allowed on Friday but are permitted on Saturday until 5pm (Oaks Amusement Park is closed that day, but the train will be running from 12pm to 5pm for kids accompanied by adults). Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

Hops are one of the four main ingredients used to make beer, along with grain, yeast and water. The hop plant’s flower, called a cone, is what gives beer its pleasant bitter flavor and aroma. Most of the United States' hop production takes place in the Pacific Northwest, thanks to its rich soil, rainfall and mild air. Oregon is the second largest hop producing state in the United States, with most hops grown in the Willamette Valley.

The Oregon Brewers Guild is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the state’s craft brewing industry and the common interests of its members. Founded in 1992, the Oregon Brewers Guild is one of the nation’s oldest craft brewers associations. The Guild, which receives no state funding, comprises 160 brewing companies, 130 associate or supplier members and more than 4,000 enthusiast members or S.N.O.B.s (Supporters of Native Oregon Beer).

It's hop harvest time! During the next 3-4 weeks, hop farmers will be busy harvesting, drying and packaging hops. Since there is much to do in a short time window, hop farms typically operate in 24x7 mode for nearly a month to harvest hops at their prime. It's an amazing process!

Hop harvest also brings a unique opportunity—the ability to make wet (or fresh) hop beers. Since wet hop beers are not kiln dried, they must be used within hours of harvest. The allure of beers made with these mystical hops is that they have unique flavors not found in beers made with typical dried hops. Brewers have a short window to procure and use these hops—and most take advantage of this.

BridgePort Brewing Co. has released Hop Harvest, a wet hop ale for many years. In fact, one of the first beer events I ever covered was the launch party for BridgePort's 2010 Hop Harvest Ale. In preparation for their 2018 release, BridgePort invited me to visit Crosby Hop Farm yesterday to pick up 280 pounds of Centennials hops, the first of three batches of wet hops that will be used in this year's Hop Harvest Ale.

When you think of Centennial, you'd probably expect an IPA. But this year, BridgePort will release a Märzen, aka Oktoberfest-style lager as their seasonal Hop Harvest wet hop beer. While this style is malt-forward with a light hop profile, BridgePort will take a few liberties and accentuate the hop flavors by using a blend of wet Centennial, Amarillo, and Mt. Hood hops.

After returning from Crosby Hop farm, Jeff Edgerton, BridgePort Brewmaster, promptly dumped 280 pounds of freshly picked Centennial hops into the tank. Edgerton prefers to add the fresh hops to the beer a few days after the start of primary fermentation. This gives the hops exposure to higher temperatures (which occur during active fermentation) to aid extraction of flavor and helps to reduce the loss of volatile aromas from the active production of carbon dioxide, which peaks early in fermentation.

I enjoyed seeing the origin of this beer, and look forward to tasting it soon! Look for Hop Harvest on draft, and in 12 oz. cans when it is released in mid-September.

A truck full of Centennial hops

Centennial hops

Crosby's new conveyer moves stems and leaves from the picking facility into trucks

Summer may be winding down, but there are still plenty of beer festivals to enjoy. If you're looking to attend a fest outside of Portland this weekend, you're in luck! Those east of Portland should check out Boring Beer Fest. If you're in the mood for the coast, Public Coast Brewing is hosting its 2nd annual HAYDAY! festival in Cannon Beach. The event will feature 40 Oregon craft beers, many from coastal breweries.

We all know Portland is overloaded with beer fests, but it's nice to see the 'burbs getting in on the action! The Inaugural Boring Beer Fest will feature breweries from the eastern region of the metro area, as well a smattering of Portland breweries. This is a great opportunity to sample from breweries not usually seen at the larger Portland beer fests.

Boring Beer Fest was created as an annual event to showcase regional brewers and cider makers of all sizes in beautiful Boring, Oregon. The creators of the event felt the communities of Gresham, Sandy and Boring were thirsty for an event in which they didn’t have to travel to Portland and deal with the hustle and bustle of the city. Equally, Portland residents can get out to the country and enjoy an eclectic mix of well-known and smaller breweries.

Inspired by the Mt. Hood “Fruit Loop,” as well as the Clackamas County “Tap Trail,” breweries from these areas were the first be invited and represent the bulk of the breweries and cideries being featured. The addition of the “City Slickers” tent will bring some excellent selections from Portland.

The event will be set up in several unique spaces on the Boring Brewing and Winery property, so festival attendees can walk the grounds and enjoy separate areas. There will be live music in the manicured back yard, a water oasis to beat the heat, a covered country patio and several other setups - all with exciting beer options. Regional food as well as vendors and summer yard games will be found throughout the grounds. Boring Brewing has created a flagship beer for the event that will be available as a 16oz option, so music lovers can enjoy a pint in the live music area. Sunday will be family day with special entertainment for the kids!

We are proud to be raising money for two 501(c)(3) non-profits organizations: The Kyla McCullough Gift Fund http://kmgf.org/welcome.php and the Boring Oregon Foundation http://www.boringoregonfoundation.org

Individual participation cost is $20 for a keepsake logo glass and 10 beer tickets. 1 ticket will yield one 4oz pour, with the exception of the Boring Brewing pints that will be available for 4 tickets. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at $1.00 each.

There are advance ticket packages available through www.boringbeerfest.com that will get attendees more for their money: $20 for inaugural keepsake glass, and 15 tickets! Also, on our website is the most up to date list of participating breweries and information, as well as volunteer sign up for those wishing to trade their time for free beer!

Now, Zupan's and pFriem Family Brewers have teamed up to produce Farm To Market IPA. For more details, check out the news release below. Only 125 cases were produced, so head over to Zupan's to check it out!

PORTLAND, Ore. – Zupan’s Markets has partnered with Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers to release the sixth Farm-to-Market beer in its private label line. This Northwest style IPA is inspired by the summer season and packed with notes of papaya, ripe melon, and honey. Perfect to pair with casual summer fare such as fish tacos, burgers, and fries.

“Zupan’s Markets is excited to continue to bring our customers exclusive beer creations in partnership with the best local craft breweries,” said Zupan’s Markets’ President and CEO Mike Zupan. “pFriem continues to be a leader in craft beer innovation and together we have created the perfect summer IPA.”

This IPA is currently on shelves at all three Zupan’s Markets locations in 16.9ml bottles for $5.99. With only 125 cases produced, it will be on shelves only for a limited time.

“Zupan’s is a quality and flavor driven grocer,” said Josh Pfriem, Founder of pFriem Family Brewers. “We value their continued partnership, along with their dedication to bring customers exciting food and beverage choices.”

pFriem Family Brewers (pronounced “freem”) is a Northwest and Belgian inspired 15-barrel brewery and tasting room in Hood River, OR. Founded in 2012 by Josh pFriem, Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner. Best known for artisanal beers influenced by the great brewers of Belgium while staying true to homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest, pFriem craft brews are unmistakably unique in both flavor and balance. For more information visit www.pfriembeer.com, or onsite daily at 707 Portway Ave., Suite 101, Hood River, OR 97031.

About Zupan’s Markets

Founded by John Zupan in 1975, Zupan’s Markets is a local and family-owned gourmet market that has served Portland’s food-loving community for more than 40 years. Zupan’s Markets has three locations that focus on quality, selling everything from the best meats and wines to the freshest produce, baked goods, gourmet deli products, specialty foods, flowers and more, always emphasizing locally-sourced, artisan products when possible. For more information, visit www.zupans.com.

Cheers to Belgian Beers opened yesterday at The North Warehouse. I took the afternoon off and attended with some friends. Each year, event organizers showcase a different yeast strain. This year, Imperial Yeast Precious was the primary strain used for fermentation. As a twist, an optional secondary strain, Suburban Brett, was used by a handful of brewers to produce some exceptional offerings.

I only sampled about 11 beers, so I can't provide a comprehensive overview, but here's what I liked:

Bullseye, Yachats Brewing: When used in primary fermentation, Brettanomyces can produce juicy tropical flavors. That's exactly what it did in this hazy IPA. A nice change of pace from the other beers!

Raison D'un Petit Verre, Stickmen Brewing: My favorite taste of the day! Aged in Rex Hill pinot noir barrels, Suburban Brett was used to produce many layers of flavor including cherry and plum. This Belgian Dark Strong weighed in at 11.8% ABV, but you'd never know it. Don't miss this one! I wish I had a second pour.

My not so favorites:

Lotion in the Basket, Solera Brewing: As a fan of kettle sours and Silence of of Lambs (the greatest movie ever made), choosing this beer was a no brainer. Sadly, it left a very unpleasant aftertaste. Hannibal would not have been pleased.

Starry Night Glitter, Second Profession Brewing: So glitter beer is now a thing. This had glitter, but you had to look hard to see it. When combined its garish color, this seemed to be in the glasses of many attendees. I didn't like it. My friend said it smelled like farts. With the power of suggestion, I couldn't entirely disagree. But in all fairness, several people I talked to enjoyed it.

The festival runs through 8PM tonight (Saturday, June 2). It's going to be a beautiful day, so don't miss it!